Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a technology that provides information to a user of a vehicle.
Description of the Background Art
Recently, vehicles, such as cars, include various apparatuses and devices to provide specific vehicle functions, such as ACC and LKA. Those vehicle functions are effective to reduce load of users (mainly driver) of the vehicles and to improve convenience. However, there is a case where some users do not understand situations suitable for use of the vehicle functions. Therefore, information providing apparatuses are known that suggest the use of the vehicle functions once the vehicle is in the situation suitable for the use of the vehicle functions.
However, conventional information providing apparatuses internally store determination conditions used by the information providing apparatus to determine whether or not the use of the vehicle function is appropriate. Thus, suitability of the use of the vehicle function is determined rigidly and it is impossible to suggest the use of the vehicle function flexibly, according to environment and a position of the vehicle.
For example, suitability of the use of the vehicle function (e.g. ACC) is determined based on whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a highway (freeway). However, even in a case where the vehicle is traveling on a road other than a highway, there is a situation suitable for the use of the vehicle function. The conventional information providing apparatus rigidly determines that in the case where the vehicle is traveling on a road other than a highway, the use of the vehicle function is not suitable. Thus, even in a case where the vehicle is in the situation suitable for the use of the vehicle function, the information providing apparatus cannot appropriately suggest the use of the vehicle function.